Appalachia´s Deadliest Outlaw: The Legend of Red Rube

Red Reuben Houston Burrow was born in 1855 in Lamar County, Alabama. His mother was a healer, and his father was a farmer and, like many at the time, made moonshine in the evenings. His father taught the children how to read, write, and do math. People described his parents as good, respectable people.

Rube worked on the farm as a boy, where he learned to hunt and fish. When he was 13, he received his first gun to hunt with, and he was good. In 1873, Rube left the farm at 18 years old. He moved to Erath County, Texas, to live on his uncle's farm, where he worked on the cattle drives for two years.

Rube then met Virginia, and shortly after they married, Rube bought a small farm to start a family. They had two children; everything seemed perfect until 1880. At this point, Rube was only 25 years old when his wife Virginia contracted yellow fever and died.

After his wife died, Rube changed. The spring after she died, his crops were delayed due to drought, and Rube had to care for his two children. Rube then decided to take his children to his parent's home in Alabama. After his children were with his parents, Rube and his brother Jim returned to Texas to take care of the ranch.

However, when Rube returned to his ranch, he realized someone had stolen all his cattle, and his crops were gone due to the drought. Rube was also behind on paying for the farm, and the bank wanted their money.

At this point, Rube needed money. One day, the brothers were at the train depot and decided to rob the train; they didn't want to hurt anyone; they only wanted to get enough money to pay for the ranch. The plan worked; they robbed the train without an issue.

The brothers saw it as easy money since no one got hurt, and no one chased them. However, they needed more money, so a month later, they robbed another train. However, this time, they shot warning shots. It worked; they got 2,000 dollars, better than the first robbery, where they only got 300 USD.

At this point, Rube let the bank take his old farm, and he paid cash for a new farm, and he and Jim started to run a cattle operation. However, in 6 more months, they decided to rob another train, which made them passengers. They decided to rob the train while they were passengers and demanded the conductor stop over a bridge.

This prevented anyone from escaping. They stole 30k, and they made so much money they robbed the same train over the bridge again in 3 months. This time, they only received around 3k.

However, at this point, they were wanted, dead or alive, but no one knew who they were. Yet, instead of disappearing, they continued, and eventually, the law knew who they were. The next train they robbed got everyone talking. The boys thought they were not seen, but word got out, and people began searching for them.

The brothers were found on the train tracks. Instead of surrendering to the group, the brothers retrieved their guns and began firing at the group. The brothers escaped; unfortunately, Jim left his coat at the scene. The coat was unique and had his name on the inside and the shop's name on it. The shop owner then gave the names to the authorities, and now the law knew who the brothers were. They then became the most wanted men in America.

The law offered a 2500 dollar reward, dead or alive, for the brothers. The brothers then fled home to Alabama, where they were seen as heroes, and the locals helped hide them. The brothers then buried their gold, and no one turned them in. However, the brothers get bored and decide to rob another train.

However, the pair at this time were well known, and the conductor notified the police, who were waiting for the brothers when the train stopped. The Sheriff attempted to arrest them; however, Rube escaped, and Jim was caught. The next day, Rube was found in a cabin in the woods. There was a shootout, and Rube was hit but managed to escape to another cabin in the woods. At this cabin, he stole a horse and continued running.

At this time, Jim had tuberculosis and died in jail in 1888. Rube was still on the run, but not much longer; a mailman discovered him. However, Rube was afraid the man would talk and kill him. At this time, he was still in hiding but decided to rob another train alone. However, one of the passengers attempted to stop Rube and was shot and killed. Now, Rube was not only a thief but a murderer. Newspapers called him the Alabama Jesse James, and a search was underway to find Rube. However, he again vanished, and many assumed he was dead.

Yet in 1889, he resurfaced when he robbed another train in Mississippi. When he escaped, he stole a wagon and oxen and went to Florida. He then returned to farming, but the law still hunted him. They found him in Florida, where he again ran away. In 1890, he yet again resurfaced after running for four years, and when he did, he robbed a train in Florida. But this time, he was recognized and was ambushed by four men, but was captured and sent to jail.

While Rube was in jail, he tricked the officers into handing him his bag, saying he had some cookies and would share. The guards at the jail believed him and gave him his bag, but Rube had a gun in there and escaped.

Rube was again free, but when Rube tried to get his guns back from the Sheriff, they got into a shootout. It was at this point that the Sheriff shot Rube and killed him; Rube was 34.